Niles, Barton & Wilmer, LLP

The White House recently released its Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal, and there are many suggested changes that will impact individuals, businesses, and estates. Several of these proposals—particularly on the estate and gift…more

Because the media cycle moves so quickly these days, you may have already forgotten about the frantic last few days of 2012, during which Congress and the White House worked feverishly to save us all from going off the fiscal…more

During the 2012 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 987, a bill which mandated that the ten separate EPA-licensed storm sewer system (“MS4”) jurisdictions in Maryland (Baltimore City and nine counties-…more

As a result of recent Maryland legislation, commercial property owners currently considering the financing or refinancing of their real estate may achieve significant recordation tax savings when using so-called “indemnity deeds…more

Traditionally, personal injury claims have generally consisted of a plaintiff seeking damages for expenses and “pain and suffering” relating to physical injuries sustained as a result of an accident. Emotional distress is an…more

Senate Bill 736 will enacted as Code of Maryland Insurance Article § 27-407.2. It repeals and replaces §§ 27-408(a) and (b). The bill makes it a “fraudulent insurance act for a person to pay or otherwise compensate, directly…more

In the case of 100 Investment Limited Partnership v. Columbia Town Center Title Co., the Maryland Court of Appeals was asked to determine whether a title company owed a tort duty of reasonable care to its customer, the purchaser…more

As of January 1, 2013, the Civil Marriage Protection Act legalized same-sex marriage in the State of Maryland. From the estate-planning perspective, the passage of this law clarified many points that had been problematic for…more

Here it is, January 2, and we’ve firmly established that we’re not going headlong over some theoretical cliff. There will be plenty of time to discover all of the unintended consequences and blatant lapses in judgment buried in…more

In serious personal injury cases, a common issue arises in settlement talks that affect the course of negotiations – Liens; Specifically, health insurer liens and liens asserted by Medicare. The problem is simple: a plaintiff…more

For decades, commercial real estate lenders and their developer customers have used a particular financing technique to minimize payment of Maryland's steep recordation tax on mortgages. As of July 1, 2012, however, new…more

Even though insurance products are sold in advance of a loss when an insured is free to evaluate the scope of coverage, purchase the coverage needed and review the coverage provided, insurance agents have increasingly borne the…more

Over the next several years, a huge expansion in the internet’s naming system is set to occur. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the non-profit private organization charged with coordinating…more

October 1 is around the corner, which in Maryland means that several new laws from the spring legislative session will take effect. One such law will change (or perhaps clarify) when the 3-year statute of limitations period…more

On the heels of the legislature’s failure to address the quagmire created by the Court of Appeals’ April ruling in Tracey v. Solesky, where the Court decreed that all pit bulls and cross-breed pit bulls were inherently dangerous…more